Real-time methods of tracking fluids

ABSTRACT

A method of tracking an intelligent fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing an intelligent fluid; introducing the intelligent fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/890,494, filed Oct. 14, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to real-time methods of tracking fluids. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates real-time methods of tracking fluids in well bores using wireless wellbore sensors.

Conventional technology used in tracking the placement of fluids in a well bore typically involves the capture of surface data (e.g. pump pressures, injected fluid volumes, and return volumes) and then the use of that captured data to determine the final position of downhole fluids. One challenge in tracking the placement of fluids is that many subterranean wellbores have characteristics that constrain the ability to maintain full circulation of fluids into the annular location. Thus, the conventional methods for verification of fluid placement downhole may not accurately account for the effect of wellbore losses during a pumping operation. In addition, another challenge in tracking the placement of fluids in a well bore is determining the top of cement (TOC), fluid injection out of zone, production zones. When major wellbore losses are experienced during a pumping operation, TOC is especially hard to determine.

Currently, there are some methods of using sensors to track the placement of fluids in well bores. However, these sensors typically must be attached to the casing in order to track the placement of the fluids. This may require the use of clamps and other hardware which may complicate well design and execution. Furthermore, these clamps and other hardware may take up valuable space within the wellbore. In addition, data capture at the surface may also require the use of electric or fiber optic cables for communication from sensors to surface, which may take up further space.

It is desirable to develop a method of tracking in real-time the placement of fluids within a well bore in order to improve the accuracy of fluid placement. It is also desirable to develop wireless technology to capture data from downhole sensors for better prediction of placement of all fluids used in an oilfield application.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates generally to real-time methods of tracking fluids. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates real-time methods of tracking fluids in well bores using wireless wellbore sensors.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking an intelligent fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing an intelligent fluid; introducing the intelligent fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

In another embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking a fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; introducing an intelligent wiper plug into the wellbore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent wiper plug; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with a sensor device disposed in the well bore; and relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. While numerous changes may be made by those skilled in the art, such changes are within the spirit of the disclosure

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the above recited features and advantages of the disclosure may be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to the embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an intelligent wiper plug.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an intelligent centralizer.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an intelligent coupling.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a well bore system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes exemplary apparatuses, methods, techniques, and/or instruction sequences that embody techniques of the inventive subject matter. However, it is understood that the described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure relates generally to real-time methods of tracking fluids. More specifically, in certain embodiments, the present disclosure relates real-time methods of tracking fluids in well bores using wireless wellbore sensors.

One potential advantage of the methods discussed herein is that they allow for the tracking in real-time of fluid placement, such as drilling muds, chemical washes, cement slurries, cementing spacers, completion fluids, acids, fracturing fluids, or gravel pack fluids, in a well bore and/or annulus. Another potential advantage of the methods discussed herein is that they may allow for improved accuracy in fluid placement which may assist in real-time treatment, placement, and optimization of fluids and allow an end user to have a better understanding of fluid entry/injection points along a sandface interval. Another potential advantage of the methods discussed herein is that they may allow for the wireless capture of data from downhole sensors.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking an intelligent fluid in a well bore comprising: providing an intelligent fluid; introducing the intelligent fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

In certain embodiment, the intelligent fluid may comprise a well fluid and a sensor. Examples of suitable well fluids include cements, cement spacers, drilling mud, completion fluids, fracturing fluids, acidizing fluids, treatment fluids, and chemical washes. Examples of suitable sensors include nano sensors and micro sensors. In certain embodiments, the sensors may be capable of sensing one or more well characteristics such as pressure, temperature, stress, fluid pH, fluid conductivity, the presence of RF tags, ultrasonic measurements, and fluid ID. In certain embodiments, the sensors may have an internal power source and/or an external power source.

The intelligent fluid may be introduced into the well bore by any conventional means. Once introduced into the well bore, the intelligent fluid may sense one or more well bore characteristics such as pressure, temperature, stress, fluid pH, fluid conductivity, the presence of RF tags, and fluid ID. After the intelligent fluid senses the one or more well bore characteristics, data on the one or more well characteristics may be wirelessly relayed to the surface.

In certain embodiments the data may be transmitted to the surface using wireless telemetry through a series of receivers. In other embodiments, the data may be transmitted to the surface using acoustic telemetry techniques through the drill pipe or wellbore fluid.

Once the data has been relayed to the surface, an end-user may be able to trace the fluid placement in the well bore in real-time. This will enable to end-user to make real-time decisions regarding the introduction of the fluid into the well bore in a number of ways.

During well construction phases, by using the methods discussed herein, an end-user may track and monitor treating fluid placement and be able to make better and more informed decisions in real-time to take corrective actions, if appropriate. This may improve the execution success by improving treatment/placement accuracy, minimizing the chances of a potential problems, and savings in non-productive time by real-time data collection for problem identification & remediation planning As a result, a safer and more competent wellbore for production/injection may be delivered.

Similarly, during the production phase, by using the methods discussed herein, an end-user may monitor the annular pressure build up in sections of the wellbore where currently there is no access to do so, hence further increasing the safety of the wellbore. This will allow fluid exit/entry points to be identified, hence making production logging intervention redundant further reducing operational exposure to the well site, reducing significant costs, and improving operating expenses.

Furthermore, during a cementing operation if major mud losses are experienced while placing the cement, by using the methods discussed herein, a cement slurry, a cement spacer, and the subsequent drilling mud to displace the cement may be tracked real-time with data captured from downhole sensors to confirm cement placement & TOC.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking a fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; introducing an intelligent wiper plug into the wellbore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent wiper plug; and relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface to insure accurate downhole placement.

In certain embodiment, the fluid may comprise any well fluid. Examples of suitable well fluids include cements, cement spacers, drilling mud, completion fluids, fracturing fluids, acidizing fluids, treatment fluids, and chemical washes. In certain embodiments, the fluid may be an intelligent fluid comprising micro or nano sensors. In certain embodiments, the micro or nano sensors may be capable of sensing one or more well characteristics such as pressure, temperature, stress, fluid pH, fluid conductivity, ultrasonic measurements, the presence of RF tags, and fluid ID. In certain embodiments, the micro or nano sensors may have an internal power source and/or an external power source.

The fluid may be introduced into the well bore by any conventional means. Once introduced into the well bore, a wiper plug may be introduced then introduced into the wellbore. In certain embodiments, the wiper plug may be an intelligent wiper plug. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of intelligent wiper plug 100 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen by FIG. 1, intelligent wiper plug 100 may comprise a wiper plug body 110 and one or more sensors 120.

In certain embodiment, wiper plug body 110 may comprise any conventional type of wiper plug. In certain embodiments, one or more sensors 120 may be disposed on the surface of wiper plug body 110. In certain embodiments, the one or more sensors 120 may be radio frequency tags. In other embodiments, the one or more sensors may be micro or nano sensors.

In certain embodiments, the sensors 120 may be capable of sensing one or more well characteristics such as position, pressure, temperature, resistivity, and fluid pH. In certain embodiments, the sensors may have an internal power source and/or an external power source capable of data transmission real-time to surface and also for prolonged periods of time up to months from job execution.

Once introduced into the well bore, the wiper plug may displace some of the fluid in the wellbore. In certain embodiments, the sensors of the wiper plug may sense one or more well bore characteristics. For example, in certain embodiments, the intelligent wiper plug may measure the pressure, temperature, pH, conductivity, and/or fluid ID of the well bore. In addition, in certain embodiments, the sensors of the wiper plug may also collect data from the micro or nano sensors in the fluid.

In certain embodiments, data on the one or more well characteristics may be relayed to the surface. In certain embodiments, data on the one or more well characteristics may be relayed wirelessly to the surface. In other embodiments, a wire line may be introduced into the well bore to gather information from the intelligent wiper plug and transmit the data back to the surface.

Once the data has been relayed to the surface, an end-user may be able to trace the fluid placement in the well bore in real time. This will enable to end-user to make real-time decisions regarding the introduction of the fluid into the well bore.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking an intelligent fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing an intelligent fluid; introducing the intelligent fluid into the well bore; introducing an intelligent wiper plug into the wellbore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid and the intelligent wiper plug; and relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of tracking a fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with a sensor device disposed in the wellbore; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well bore characteristics to the surface.

In certain embodiment, the fluid may comprise a cement, a cement spacer, a drilling mud, a completion fluid, a fracturing fluid, an acidizing fluid, a treatment fluid, or a chemical wash. In certain embodiments, the fluid may be introduced into the well bore by any conventional means.

After the fluid is introduced into the well bore, a sensor device disposed within the well bore may sense one or more of well bore characteristics to track the location of the fluid within the wellbore. In certain embodiments, the sensor device may be centralizer or a coupling. In certain embodiments, the sensor device may have an external or internal power source. In certain embodiments, the sensor device may be an intelligent centralizer and/or an intelligent coupling.

FIG. 2 illustrates an intelligent centralizer 200 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen by FIG. 2, intelligent centralizer 200 may comprise a tubular centralizer 210, a device pad 220, and one or more micro or nano devices 230.

In certain embodiments, tubular centralizer 210 may be any type of conventional centralizer. Examples of conventional centralizers include centralizer subs, solid bodies, bow springs, turbulence inducing centralizers, or pre-molded resin centralizers. In certain embodiments, a device pad 220 may be disposed on a surface of the tubular centralizer 210. In certain embodiments, device pad 220 may be a mircrodevice pad or a nanodevice pad.

FIG. 3 illustrates an intelligent coupling 300 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. As can be seen by FIG. 3, intelligent coupling 300 may comprise a tubular/casing coupling 310, a device pad 320, and one or more micro or nano devices 330.

In certain embodiments, tubular coupling 310 may be any type of conventional coupling. In certain embodiments, device pad 320 may be disposed on a surface of the tubular coupling 310.

Referring now to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 illustrates a well bore system 400. As can be seen in FIG. 4, well bore system 400 may comprise a well bore 410, tubing string 415, one or more intelligent centralizers 420, and one or more intelligent couplings 430. In certain embodiments, the one or more intelligent centralizers 420 may share any of the common characters of intelligent centralizer 200. In certain embodiments, the one or more intelligent couplings 430 may share any of the common characters of intelligent coupling 300. In certain embodiments, the one or more intelligent couplings 430 and the one or more intelligent centralizers 420 may be mounted on tubing string 415.

In certain embodiments, the sensor device may sense one or more well bore characteristics. In certain embodiments, the micro or nano devices may gather data regarding the distributed pressure, temperature, stress, pH, and fluid entry/injection points of the wellbore system. In certain embodiments, the micro or nano devices may be interrogated in real time to using acoustic telemetry technique through the pipe or wellbore fluid to allow real time information relay back to surface. Thus, in certain embodiments, data on the one or more well bore characteristics may be wirelessly relayed to the surface.

While the embodiments are described with reference to various implementations and exploitations, it will be understood that these embodiments are illustrative and that the scope of the inventive subject matter is not limited to them. Many variations, modifications, additions and improvements are possible. For example, one or more chemical and/or mechanical techniques as described herein may be used to heat the well bore.

Plural instances may be provided for components, operations or structures described herein as a single instance. In general, structures and functionality presented as separate components in the exemplary configurations may be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly, structures and functionality presented as a single component may be implemented as separate components. These and other variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of tracking an intelligent fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing an intelligent fluid; introducing the intelligent fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the intelligent fluid comprises a well fluid and a sensor.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the well fluid comprises a cement, a cement spacer, a drilling mud, a completion fluid, a fracturing fluid, an acidizing fluid, a treatment fluid, or a chemical wash.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor comprises a micro or nano sensor.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor has an internal power source.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor has an external power source.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the intelligent fluid has tacking capability.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the data for real-time data collection.
 9. A method of tracking a fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; introducing an intelligent wiper plug into the wellbore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent wiper plug; and wirelessly relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein the fluid comprises an intelligent fluid.
 11. The method of claim 3, further comprising sensing one or more well bore characteristics with the intelligent fluid.
 12. A method of tracking fluid in a well bore, comprising: providing a fluid; introducing the fluid into the well bore; sensing one or more well bore characteristics with a sensor device disposed in the well bore; and relaying data on the one or more well characteristics to the surface.
 13. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises an intelligent centralizer.
 14. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor comprises an intelligent coupling. 